Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nevada Reproductive Rights Ballot Initiative Blocked By District Judge
The Hill: Judge Rejects Attempt To Enshrine Abortion Rights On Nevada Ballot
A judge in Nevada rejected a proposed 2024 ballot initiative that sought to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state’s constitution. Siding with a newly established PAC — the Coalition for Parents and Children PAC — which filed a lawsuit last month to block the petition, District Judge James T. Russell deemed the proposed ballot initiative to be too broad, embracing a “multitude of subjects that amount to logrolling.” (Shepherd, 11/23)
The Hill: 5 States Where The Abortion Fight Is Likely To Play Out Next
Ohioans passed a proposed constitutional amendment earlier this month that enshrines abortion rights protections — seen as a major feat in a state that has trended increasingly red in recent years. Abortion rights advocates are now looking to amend state constitutions in states such as Nevada, Arizona and Florida in an effort to establish or strengthen existing abortion protections — an effort that could energize Democrats’ base of voters in a critical presidential election year. (Vakil, 11/25)
Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Catholic Bishops Spent Big On Failed Effort To Defeat Abortion-Rights Amendment
Ohio’s Catholic bishops spent $1.7 million in an attempt to defeat an abortion-rights measure that passed easily on Nov. 7, according to an analysis by a group of Catholics that urges the church to change its stance on the issue. The expenditure mostly comes from donations by a laity most of whom disagree with the bishops’ stance that abortion is wrong in just about every circumstance. (Schladen, 11/27)
KFF Health News: Progressive And Anti-Abortion? New Group Plays Fast And Loose To Make Points
This summer pedestrians, drivers, and passengers in Washington, D.C., saw a new type of graffiti among the usual urban scrawls: anti-abortion advocacy designed to troll this ultra-blue city. On sidewalks, on bridge overpasses, and near Metro stations some people had stenciled or spray-painted missives like “Be Gay: Ban Abortion” and, in stylized lettering, “Abortion Is Murder.” The messaging was likely a shock in Washington. The graffiti reflects part of a surprising segment of the ideological spectrum: anti-abortion using the language of the radical left. (Tahir, 11/27)
In other reproductive health news —
KFF Health News: Backlash To Affirmative Action Hits Pioneering Maternal Health Program For Black Women
For Briana Jones, a young Black mother in San Francisco, a city program called the Abundant Birth Project has been a godsend. Designed to counter the “obstetric racism” that researchers say leads a disproportionate number of African American mothers to die from childbirth, the project has provided 150 pregnant Black and Pacific Islander San Franciscans a $1,000 monthly stipend. (Cohen, 11/24)
